NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 11, 2018 (Newswire.com) - 19-year-old Zane Smith from Huntington Beach, California led a 1-2-3 MDM Motorsports Music City Sweep of the podium Saturday night in the Music City 200 at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee, driving his Marty Lindley prepared La Paz Margarita Mix, Icon Vehicle Dynamics No. 41 Toyota to victory lane ahead of teammates Sheldon Creed and Harrison Burton, who finished second and third. Their fourth teammate Chase Purdy overcame some adversity to finish seventh.
Smith was ecstatic in victory lane after getting his first ARCA Series victory. "It feels so good to wake up and finally be a winner at this level,” he said. “We've been so close so many times, finally getting it done is awesome. My crew chief Marty Lindley and this whole MDM Motorsports Team have believed in me and I cannot thank them enough for that faith, along with La Paz Margarita Mix, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, Speed Vegas, and all of those who have made this possible. To win at a place like Nashville is very special, and for three of us MDM cars to finish top three is awesome."
Lindley couldn’t have been happier after the race. “We accomplished all of our goals for the weekend,” he stated. “The car was fast off the trailer, we led twice for a race-high 120 laps, never fell out of the top five and won the race. That’s a product of hard work and preparation at the shop. Zane was locked in this weekend. He made my job really easy.”
Creed a 20-year-old Alpine, California racer who competed in more than 29 races with eight different teams last year and is already known as one of the most diversified drivers in the sport, finished second in the United Rentals, A.M Ortega No. 28 Toyota.
"We did exactly what we came to do,” Creed nodded. “We had a shot at the win, brought the car back in one piece, and had a really good points day. Congratulations to Zane. He drove a great race. The fact that all three MDM Motorsports cars finished up front says a lot about the people and the knowledge this team has. I’m thankful to be able to learn from Jeff Stankiewicz (Sheldon’s crew chief) and everyone else here at MDM.”
Stankiewicz was pleased with his team’s performance. “Overall it was definitely a successful team weekend. Sheldon Led 12 laps, raced in the top three all night and finished second. He’s second in points heading into Salem. We did what we wanted to. He kept the car clean, raced hard and gave us a chance to win.”
For 17-year-old Burton, the road to singing a third-place tune at Nashville was a challenge, as he started 25th. He charged his way to second by lap 130, passing more cars than anyone else in the race.
"Honestly, nothing went our way,” he said. “It was a fight from the minute we unloaded. But my guys fought hard all day and we were able to come away with a solid third-place finish with our Dex Imaging, Safelite Auto Glass Toyota. I couldn't be happier with the effort. I’m very happy to see Zane win and Sheldon finish second. It really couldn’t have been a better day for our whole MDM Motorsports team. Three cars in the top three and all four in the top seven. That’s incredible."
Shane Huffman, Burton’s crew chief, called his team’s day a roller coaster. “It was an up and down day for sure. We just weren’t very good in practice. We thought we could fix it, but it meant missing qualifying and having to start in the back. I think we made the right call. Everyone worked hard, and it ended with a positive result. Harrison did a tremendous job in the race.”
18-year-old Meridian, Mississippi racer Chase Purdy drove the Bama Buggies, Polaris Toyota No. 8 to a seventh-place finish, persevering through a bad pit stop and a suspension issue and showing his burgeoning talent at this level.
“I was really excited coming into the weekend,” Purdy said after the race. “We were pretty good all day but had a shock go bad in the race. That was tough, but we fought through it and stuck together. I’m proud of my guys for never giving up. I’m happy for Zane, Sheldon, and Harrison to finish top three. It was a great day for our team.”
Purdy’s crew chief, Culley Barraclough, summed up the day for Purdy and the team. “It was a tough race for us with the shock going bad, but even with that Chase found a way to fight through and run as fast as our teammates. He ran inside the top ten all night and fought back from the bad pit stop where we only got a gallon of fuel in the car. Races like that are important to make the best out of and I’m proud of Chase and our team for doing that today.”
The next race for Smith, Creed, and Purdy will be ARCA’s next stop at Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana on Sunday, April 22 for the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200.
Burton and Alfredo will lead MDM Motorsports to Bristol Motor Speedway for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Zombie Auto 150 this Saturday, April 14.
Additional information about MDM Motorsports is available at www.MDMmotorsports.com, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @MDMmotorsports.
Media/Sponsorship Contact: Dylan “Mamba” Smith (704) 928 6602
Source: Race Face Brand Development on behalf of MDM Motorsports
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